Steph's 4th of July
by katrin87
Summary: I know I'm late. but here it is anyway. Written for the fireworks challenge on PV and the current moderation challenge on PP . It's a Babefic a few years down the line and it gives a little bit of background on Cal. Enjoy!


A/N: Written for the a challenge on PV (Steph and a fireworks mishap) and the current challenge on PP (moderation). It's a Babefic a few years down the line and it gives a little bit of background on Cal. Enjoy!

4th of July

By Katrin

It had been a hot, but beautiful day. It was summer, my favorite season, and the weather gods had been smiling at us. The weather had been perfect to celebrate the fourth of July. It was hot enough to chase each other with water guns, but not hot enough to ave people drop like flies.

We had spent the afternoon at my parents'. Mom had prepared a barbecue with Dad manning the grill and the kids running around. Our kids running around, along with Lisa. Mary Alice and Angie were too old now. They had sat with us, talked with us and then had excused themselves to meet with their boyfriends. It had been cute to see them blushing. Originally, Carlos and I had wanted to do a picnic in the park, but Mom had guilted me into coming over.

Miraculously, we had managed to flee to the park though, to watch the fireworks and meet up with the rest of our posse.

And here we were, sitting on a blanket. I was sitting with my back against Carlos' chest and he was leaning against a big old oak. He had his arms around my waist and his fingers were linked over my already swelling abdomen. I was pregnant once again. Ricky, now five years old, and Marisa, who was seven, were running around under the watchful eyes of their many uncles.

Tank with Lula, Bobby with his boyfriend and Lester with his current date had accompanied us, along with everyone else who didn't have to work.

When I looked up, Cal was giving Ricky a piggy back ride. Cal got along great with the kids, had even volunteered to babysit on more than one occasion when Carlos and I wanted to get away for a weekend or just wanted to have an evening to ourselves.

When Marisa was just born, we were living in the apartment at RangeMan, so Ella looked after her when when we both had to work or wanted to spend some time alone. We had only been married for a little over a year then. But when I was pregnant again, we had started looking for a house. The apartment would have been too small for the four of us. Knowing that we would miss having the Merry Men around we ended up buying the office building right next door to RangeMan. More like Carlos had bought it. Anyway, the building was remodeled, so now we had a really big apartment on the top floor, a swimming pool on the basement and everything in between had been formed into nice, big apartments for RangeMan's employees.

When I had found out I was pregnant with Marisa I had quit working for Vinnie altogether. I just didn't want to risk our baby. Instead I had started working for RangeMan, doing searches. After the birth I had also done the odd distraction job and was sitting in on a meeting whenever I was needed.

Thanks to working out with the guys I had kept my figure. I was a little bit curvier than before my pregnancies, but who was I to complain about bigger boobs. Carlos certainly loved me just the way I was.

I snuggled back into Carlos and he nuzzled his face into my neck.

"How come Cal loves our kids so much?"

"That's a long story."

"Tell me anyway." He had my curiosity picked and now I wanted to know Cal's story.

I grew up with Cal in the same neighborhood. We were never the closest friends, but we knew each other and got along well. When we grew up, he always wanted to have a family, be a father one day. When I enlisted in the army he followed about two years later."

I nodded.

"Eventually he was shipped out and when he got back he went out one night to a bar. He met a girl there and they fell in love. They didn't know each other for long before they moved in together. Hell, they even wanted to get married. They were both only 21 at that time, but they were happy. And they both wanted a baby really bad, so they started trying for one. After about a year Lisa, his girl, still wasn't pregnant, so they figured something had to be wrong. They headed to their respective doctors to find out."

Carlos paused a moment.

"His doc told him he would never be able to father a child."

"How awful."

"Yeah, but it gets worse. When he told Lisa she broke up with him, moved out of their apartment the next day. He never saw or heard of her again. Got his tattoo the next day."

"The flaming skull?"

"Yep, but he's never told anyone the real meaning behind it. We can all guess, but we don't know for sure."

That gave me an idea.

"What do you think about asking him to be godfather to our baby, Carlos?"

He nodded in my neck. "I think it's a great idea."

Just in that moment Cal came back with Ricky and Marisa in tow. They crabbed some cookies and then went to practice sneaking up on Tank, one of their favorite games. That left Cal standing in front of us.

I patted the blanket next to us and he sat down, looking at us curiously.

"Tell him, Babe."

"Cal, we wanted to ask you something."

"Sure, go ahead."

"We would like you to be godfather for our youngest."

For a second he looked uncertain, like he couldn't quite believe it, but then the biggest smile ever spread over his features.

"I would be absolutely honored."

Cal was positively beaming and I was happy that I could make him happy with something quite easy, but meant so much to him. I mentioned him over to hug him and he grinned again, before skipping over to Tank and the kids. I had never seen the man skipping, but I guess there's a first time for everything.

"Babe, you have a really big heart. I love you."

"Love you too, Batman. How much longer until the fireworks?"

"Impatient, aren't we? Should start any minute now."

"Okay."

"What's on your mind, Babe?"

I turned around to look into his eyes.

"Not again."

"Uhuh. You know how my hormones get when I'm pregnant."

"All things in moderation, Babe."

"Ungh."

"You'll kill me one day."

"But you'll die a happy man."

Before he could say anything the fireworks started. Ricky and Marisa sat cuddled up with Tank and Lula, staring up at the sky to watch the fireworks. Lula actually seemed to be happy about the squirming kid on her lap. Ramirez had done a real number on her and even though the doctors had tried, she would never be able to hold her own child. But what really mattered was, the both of them were happy regardless, just contend to have each other.

"Deep thoughts?"

"Just thinking how lucky I am. I've got you for my husband, got to marry the man I love, not someone my mother wanted me to marry. We have two wonderful kids with the third on its way and it's a beautiful evening."

I hadn't completed that thought when I heard a quiet whizzing sound and then it started to crackle, like when twigs and leaves are burning. Burning?

I looked up towards the sky and sure enough, the oak we were sitting under was going up in flames. Carlos noticed as well, along with the Merry Men around us.

Tank raised his eyebrow at me.

"Damnit. It wasn't my fault."

"It never is, Bombshell."

I could already hear the faint sound of sirens in the distance. Crap, my mother would deny me dessert forever, but I so was not responsible for that one.

We got up and gathered our belongings to move them out of range. Marisa, like the quiet kid she was, just shook her head at the scene, but Ricky was bouncing with glee.

"Mom, can we do smores, please?"

Bobby piped up. "He's definitely your kid, Bombshell."

"No, Ricky."

He looked disappointed and I just couldn't stand to see him unhappy.

"But I'm sure Ella left cookies for us today. You can have some when we get back."

In the meantime the firetrucks had arrived and with them two of Trenton's finest, Picky and a cop I didn't know. It wouldn't have mattered anyway.

Picky was the first to talk. "What the hell happened here?"

The fireworks were still going on, but nobody was watching them anymore. Everyone was watching the Stephanie Plum show.

The firefighters set out to put out the fire while the cops proceeded to take our statements. After what seemed like forever, we were finally finished and the firefighters started packing up. Picky and his partner told us to come by the station to sign our statements the next days and left as well.

The crowd was getting smaller, until only our group was standing around, packing up to head home as well.

When we got into the car Carlos was smiling at me. "Only you, Babe. Only you."


End file.
